SPEAKER SERVICES http://speakerservices.com Newsletter: October 2000 #24 Get Listed in the Directory: http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html Content: 1. A Word from the Publisher 2. New & Renewing Speakers Articles: STORIES AND ANECDOTES by Jack Barnard Speak From The Heart Tips and Advise ****************** OUR SPONSORS: Searching for a unique and exciting way to present your topic? AvidLearn.com, Inc. is seeking experts to present live, online seminars. Enjoy tremendous exposure and unparalleled convenience. To find out more, register for one of our free "How To" courses in September at www.avidlearn.com. For further information, contact an Account Executive at (888) 493-2100 or Experts@avidlearn.com ****************** Five Star Publications, Inc. Full Book-Publishing Services Since 1985 >From production to publicity, have it all with just one call! www.BookProducer.com and www.eBookery.com Your partner in electronic publishing. e-mail: radke@fivestarsupport.com ****************** The 2000 International Conference on Business & Consciousness. Acapulco Mexico. December 2 - 7, 2000. Global community explores the future of business. Premier business conference created to help people and organizations incorporate values that will enable them to feel enthusiastic about what they are doing, how they are doing it and how it is affecting the rest of the world. 505-474-0998, message@nets.com, www.bizspirit.com. Mention Susan Levin or Speaker Services and receive a $50 discount on the conference. ****************** New & Renewing Speakers FEE 1. Natalie Petouhoff: Doctor of Change" turns ordinary meetings into transformative events 2. Connie Goldman: Author-speaker proves that aging offers unbounded opportunities for growth 3. Barbara King: Consultant with a "passion for fashion" offers strategies for creating ideal wardrobe and image 4. Dawn Kohler: Need inspiration? Award-winning entrepreneur offers innovative strategies for success FREE 4. Christine Palen & Amy Siu: Eliminate clutter and leap from chaos and confusion to simplicity and solutions! 5. Greg Mooers: Inspiring speaker helps audiences bring out the best in themselves and others ______________________________________ A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER Where did the month of September go? Well here comes October and it is a busy month for us. We will be exhibiting at the Govenor's Conference in Long Beach, CA on October 12th and the NAWBO MarketPlace, October 19th. Come by and say hello. October 15th we'll be doing a Video Demo Showcase in Los Angeles, the third this year. We do need audience members to support the speakers and it is a great learning experience. Join us please. Heidi Parr is offering Get Ready, Get Set, Close Workshop, October 28th in Los Angeles. This workshop will teach you how to sell your service or products through your presentations. Not in Los AngelesÐÐthen join us for the short version teleclass on October 25 or order the audio tape. The teleclasses have been terrific. If you haven't tried this type of forum I encourage you to do so. Here's some comments from attendees. Picked up several new things to practice. I think as a speaker you can be forgiven for many things, except not involving the audience. It is life or death as a speaker. Heidi was right on track with her information... as she practiced what she preached. Linda Hamilton The teleclass was great! I definitely learned some new tools that can translate into immediate dollars - and all without having to get in my car or move at all. I love it! Mary Lyn Miller I found the teleclass to be an easy way to gain valuable information. My busy schedule makes it hard to get to all the events I would like to attend. This was a snap. Great information and invaluable sharing with participants from all over the country. Thanks. Dr. Linda Blakeley A quick preview for October and NovemberÐÐcan't attend order the audio tape. Full description and to register: speakerservices.com/teleclasses/index.html. Thurs 10/5 Get Ready, Get Set, Get Booked, Jeannie Espositio Tues 10/10 Successful Speaking, Susan Levin Mon 10/16 FearLess Speaking, Louise-Diana Wed 10/25 Ready, Set, Close, Heidi Parr Wed 11/1 Design Before You Deliver, Len Lipton Wed 11/8 Increase Your Profits with an E-Mail Newsletter, Joan Sotkin Tues 11/14 eBooks,pBooks: Wringing Maximum Value out of your Work, Dan Poynter Mon 11/20 Michael Jeffreys Tues 11/28 Marketing Magic: Creating One Sheets that Really Work, Sheryl Rousch This month I've included a piece by Jack Barnard on Stories and Anecdotes which are so important to your presentations. More next month, Susan Levin _______________________________________ STORIES AND ANECDOTES >From COMMUNION by Jack Barnard "Once upon a time the prince met the princess. But she was having a bad hair day, and he was interested in her brother, so they both lived somewhat happily ever after, but not with each other." "Stories are not just meant to make us smile. Our lives depend on them." Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist Gathered around the warm fires, listening to the Wise Ones, hearing the history through the Storyteller was the way of our ancestors. It was an honor to be the Storyteller, as the Storyteller spoke the truth of the moment, sharing the wisdom and knowledge that guided the people and protected the children. "We come back to the WORD as the starting point of all Creation." Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind Our culture has storytelling roots. Everything we do well contains a story. Our movies and TV programs tell stories. we sell with a story, we relate to each with stories. Our speeches and talks follow the pathways of good stories. All the great teachers Ü Jesus included Ü were great storytellers. Storytelling is an art. "The truths of how to live in harmony were kept alive by wise Storytellers." James Sams and Twylah Nitsch , Other Council Fires Were Here Before Ours ABOUT STORYTELLING 1. The ability to exchange experiences is at the heart of genuine storytelling 2. Forever, we have relied on stories to make sense of our lives 3. Stories are the building blocks of knowledge. 4. Stories are the playground for language 5. Stories offer a deeper understanding of our origins 6. Stories teach us how to be human. 7. Stories help us know who we are in new and unforeseen ways. 8. Stories organize the things that happen to us. 9. Stories offer a deeply meaningful and intimate legacy 10. Stories create community 11. Stories help us to see through the eyes of other people 12. Stories show us the consequences of our actions 13. Stories educate our desires 14. Stories help us dwell in place 15. Stories liberate us into a realm of timelessness. 16. Stories help us dwell in time 17. Stories contradict our extreme isolation 18. Stories help us deal with suffering, loss, and death 19. Stories acknowledge the wonder and mystery of Creation We love stories and we learn through the telling of them. Sprinkle your message with stories, anecdotes (analogies and examples) that bring out the flavor of your theme. Stories, anecdotes, jokes and illustrations take the audience by the hand and help them understand what you1re saying. Stories deliver the salient points of wisdom. You can tell us the point you1re trying to make, and we may understand it, but we get the meaning through stories. We1re a storytelling culture. The stories that affect us the most are personal stories, experiences that moved us. Regardless of the kind of story, bring us into it. Great storytellers suspend our realities and make us think it1s happening right now. Checklist of Essential Story Items: All the great stories contain the following ingredients: 1. OPENER. Transport us to another time and place with your very first sentence. Or introduce us to someone, or to some meaningful experience. Example: "My mother wears a man1s toupee." Or "They closed the school on my 6th birthday." "During the week, she was just a secretary." 2. SENSES AHOY. Use colorful, crunchy, juicy, smelly, happy, scary, exciting words. Words which make us see, hear, smell, taste, touch and feel. Go for economy. These descriptive words should convey a MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF THOUGHT IN A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF WORDS. To find them we must ask the following questions: a. What did the people and places look like in the story? (tall, short, fat, skinny, crooked, green, yellow, white) b. What were the sounds? (ocean, wind, dogs) How did the people talk? (fast-talking, lisp, slow drawl) c. What smells? (lilac, perfume, bakery shop) d. What textures? (Hands like leather, smooth as a baby butt) e. How did the people feel? (angry, afraid, confused, happy, sad) 3. MAGIC MOMENTS. Really great stories have Magic Moments. A magic moment happens when the storyteller stops telling the story from the narrator1s point of view and becomes one of the characters (by using that character1s voice and body movements). This is when the storyteller transforms from telling the story in 3rd person style and we are suddenly in the story (1st person.) (As I said in the very beginning, being a speaker and a performer are all the same thing to me. If you want to pop to the top, see yourself as a performer Ü not just a speaker.) 4.* CHALLENGE IS COMING. Not every story has this, but it1s nice when they do. This is also called the build up. What in the story makes you feel that trouble is coming? Example: "Ronald was always so careful driving to work." (We know Ronald1s about to get into trouble.) 5.* CHALLENGE/ PAIN. The crisis or peak moment. Moment of truth. Often called the "Once Moment" because the word "once" will always let you know if you have a peak moment. Example: "Once Ronald decided to try a new way to work, all hell broke loose." Trouble isn1t necessarily a bad thing. Trouble just means that the world we know is turned upside-down. Trouble in a story can mean we just got a big inheritence and this is not a bad thing at all. 6.* CHALLENGE OVERCOME. How did the main character get out of the troublesome situation? What resource or intrinsic human value did our hero have to tap into? Example: "Ronald finally made it to work that day Ü but he didn1t get much done." 7. CLOSER. Close your story with a powerful sentence. This is a great place for the moral, or for what the main character Ü and consequently the audience Ü learned from the story. Example: "Ronald knew he would never drive again Ü not without seat belts." Some of this material courtesy of Karen Golden *: Steps 4-6 are optional. Some inspirational stories aren1t built around crisis, but the best of them are. Conflict and resolution have been the soul centers of storytelling since we learned to communication. Go to any movie. You can graph out the conflict and resolution, and in far too many of them, you can time it. The speaker1s task is to make the difficult easy for the audience to understand. Stories help to do this. They can take dry facts, statements and statistics and make them infinitely more memorable to an audience. The best speakers are all great storytellers. Helpful hints: Keep a record of your stories, anecdotes, jokes and great quotes. Put them in a folder, journal, or computer file, so when you need them, they1re easily accessible. Practice your stories. Tell them to a friend, try them out in different ways. Eliminate superfluous parts and irrelevant details. Jack Barnard is a writer, speaker, performer and group leader. His technique emphasizes the specialness of the individual, focusing on the permission to bring forth one's unique expression and style. He currently lives in Sweden. He is the author of COMMUNION: We Get our Cue from You, a book and the Storytelling Audio Tape Series available through Speaker Services. ______________________________ SPEAK RIGHT FROM THE HEART by Stew Leonard, Jr. One day while having lunch with a modern acting king I asked Paul Newman his advice to my speech opening. He said, "don1t listen to the pros just speak right from your heart The people in your audience will sense your humble start." So below I wrote this poem and I hope you like its ring. I read it to myself before my speech1s opening. You see I1ve heard lots of speeches to many big groups And I1ve heard motivators who stir up the troops. I1ve also heard funny speakers with hilarious jokes And I1ve heard storytellers with great anecdotes. But the one I like the best in a class so far apart Is the one that I know, speaks right from the heart. Some speakers are polished but seem cold as ice Some others say nothing they1re just plain and nice. Some speakers will call you "an intelligent crew" But don1t really mean to and talk down to you. I1ve seen every style, I1ve studied the art And the kind I like best speaks right from the heart. So if you1re asked to speak, leave your script on the chair Hop up onto the stage and show them you care. Be humble and happy and speak one on one And show them you1re having a whole lot of fun. Don1t try to be clever, don1t try to be smart Instead just be natural...speak right from the heart. Excerpted from Secrets Of Successful Speakers by Lilly Walters _____________________________ Tips & Advice >From SpeakerNet News (SpeakerNet@aol.com) Question: How do you determine pricing for self-produced products? If a typical book sells for $10-$20 and a typical audio cassette sells for $10-$12, do you charge those prices because that's what the market expects? How do you create and position your products so they're not seen as "typical" and you can ask -- and get -- premium prices? Have you ever made a pricing mistake? What did you do to correct it? ______________ -- Angela Brown (BeWell2000@aol.com) Charge typical prices if you have a typical product. When we released our audio line we researched catalogs and magazines to find similar types of products and titles. We then called "Earful of Books," a national exclusive audio book store chain to find out what they charged for products like ours. We matched our prices, quality, content and even "rental fee" with the purchasing habits of the market. If you're self-published, you can afford to charge "normal" prices and give "normal" discounts. Don't alarm audiences, bookstores, libraries and online buyers with outrageous fees (either over or under market value) or you'll spend your profits educating your consumer why you're so different. -- Jeff Tobe (jeff@jefftobe.com) Always "package" your products to offer a great deal. For example, if you purchase both of my books, you receive my video for free (a $39.95 value). Also, hand-write your signature on your book table -- as if you just thought of offering this deal for this group only. -- Joe Charbonneau (Charbspeak@aol.com) When I am speaking to an audience or I've provided an order form in the handouts, I charge $129 for a video, audio of the sound track and camera-ready copy of the handout for duplication. I usually have 3-4 free items (posters, pocket cards, etc.) relating to my presentation, in front of the room. I stop sometime during the best part of my presentation, when I know I have the audience in the palm of my hand, and we are really connected. I say "I'll bet a lot of you are saying 'I wish Joe could bring this message to the people in our company, office, department. I wish my family could here this or some of our friends.'" I pick up the audio/video package/camera-ready handout package and say "Well, I will bring this message to anyone you wish as often as you wish. I will be in your car every morning or with you when you are out walking. And I will do this for $129. If you would like a copy of this presentation, along with camera-ready copy of the handouts, to use when you return to your businesses, just drop your card on the platform or hand it to me when you come up for your free posters. I'll invoice you." It usually takes less than a minute to say this but the response is ________________________________ SPONSOR THIS NEWSLETTER! Get your message out to speakers 2,000 plus and meeting planners in this fast growing newsletter. $50 a month, limit to 6 lines of text, 60 characters per line issues or 6 months for $275 paid in advance. Previous issues are available at http://www.speakerservices.com/nl/index.html To contribute information to this newsletter send via e-mail to: susan@speakerservices.com. Letters and comments are happily accepted. To remove yourself from this newsletter send an e-mail message to susan@speakerservices.com with remove in subject. ************************ Meeting planners looking for speakers for free and fee or entertainers for your programs check out Speaker Services: http://speakerservices.com. Get Listed in the Directory: http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html Presentation skills and marketing workshops offered in the Los Angeles area. http://speakerservices.com/services/la.html Audio Tapes Soul of Speaking, Jack Barnard Storytelling, Jack Barnard Mesmerize Your Audience, Jack Barnard Market Yourself as a Speaker , Susan Levin Books: Market Yourself as A Speakers Resource and Study Guide, Susan Levin We Get Our Cue From You: The Communion Approach to Public Speaking, Jack Barnard http://speakerservices.com/products/index.html ************************ Speaker Services Susan Levin 4023 Meier Street LA, CA 90066 310-822-4922 FAX: 310-822-9025 Toll free- 877-773-2800 e-mail: susan@speakerservices.com website: http://speakerservices.com ____________________________ Web Directory: Speaker Services http://speakerservices.com Susan Levin, publisher/owner Los Angeles, CA 310-822-4922, FAX: 310-822-9025 Get Listed in the Directory http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html Seminars, Teleclasses, Audio Tapes & Books http://speakerservices.com/services/la.html http://speakerservices.com/teleclasses/index.html http://speakerservices.com/products/index.html Private Consultations: Speaker Marketing Free monthly E-Mail Newsletter and past issues for speakers and meeting http://speakerservices.com/nl/index.html Healthy Lifestyle Fair http://speakerservices.com/services/healthy.html